Job Seekers Allowance

Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)

DWP describe Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) as the main benefit for people of working age who are out of work. JSA may be available if a person is out of work or working less than 16 hours a week on average. To be eligible you must be capable of working, available for work, actively seeking work and below state pension age. JSA may be payable as contribution based, if you have paid or been credited with class 1 National Insurance (NI) contributions in the relevant tax years, or income based, which is based on income and savings if you have not paid enough National Insurance contributions (NICs) and you're on a low income. Changes are being made to the way lone parents claim benefits which will result in some moving off Income Support (IS) and onto JSA during late 2008 and 2009. The JSA claimant count is not an official measure of unemployment but it is the only measure available for small areas, and at timescales more frequent than quarterly.

Figure 1: JSA Claimants (October 2004 to September 2011)
Figure 1: JSA Claimants (October 2004 to September 2011 )
Figure 2: JSA Claimants Aged 18-24 (October 2004 to September 2011)

Figure 2: JSA Claimants Aged 18-24 (October 2004 to September 2011)
 

*Relevant population is the population of any relevant qualifying age group described above.

2.6% of working age people in Highland claim JSA, lower than the averages for Scotland and United Kingdom (4.2% and 3.9% respectively). Unemployment in Highland is highly seasonal and was above the Scotland and Great Britain average around the millennium but has fallen steadily since then until beginning to rise in late 2008. Highland's seasonal unemployment makes short term interpretation difficult but the figures from late 2007 to date show that unemployment had been rising, but at a slower rate than in Scotland and Great Britain, despite following the usual seasonal fluctuation in 2009 and 2010. Since early 2010 it can be seen that unemployment has been falling. The number of young people receiving JSA who are aged under 25 (i.e. aged 24 and below) is 6.1% in Highland receiving the benefit compared with 8.3% for Scotland and 7.8% in United Kingdom.

JSA Claimants by Multi-Member Wards (September 2011)

There is a wide variation in the number of people in each ward receiving JSA and wards containing deprived areas have over 4 times as many claimants as less deprived wards.The wards with the highest number of people receiving JSA is Wick (6.4%) and Inverness Central (5.7%) while the lowest is in Inverness South (1.2%). The number of young people receiving JSA follow is highest in Wick (13.3%) and Thurso (12.7%). 

Ward No Ward Name All JSA Claimants

% of working age population claiming JSA

JSA Claimants aged under 24

 % of population under 24 claiming JSA
1 North, West and Central Sutherland 87 2.6 15 4.6
2 Thurso 190 4.5 70 12.7
3 Wick 254 6.4 80  13.3
4 Landward Caithness 223 3.2  55 

7.8

5 East Sutherland and Edderton 103 2.3

10

 2.1
6 Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh 95 1.4 20 2.8
7 Cromarty Firth 276 3.9 95 10.1
8 Tain and Easter Ross 180 3.4 45 7.1
9 Dingwall and Seaforth 187 2.4 65 6.3
10 Black Isle 82 1.4 15 2.5
11 Eilean a' Cheò

120

1.9

 15 2.4
12 Caol and Mallaig

78

 1.6 15 2.9
13 Aird and Loch Ness 93 1.4 20 3.0
14 Inverness West 132 2.5 35 5.4
15 Inverness Central 496 5.7 125 9.6
16 Inverness Ness-Side 140 2.3 40 5.1
17 Inverness Millburn 102

2.1

 30 4.5
18 Culloden and Ardersier 137 1.9 35 3.6
19 Nairn 147 2.2  35  4.7
20 Inverness South 104 1.2 40 4.6
21 Badenoch and Strathspey 109 1.4

15

 1.7
22 Fort William and Ardnamurchan 163 2.3 30 3.8
Highland 3,498 2.6 975 6.1
Source: Department for Work and Pensions data from NOMIS

JSA Claimants by Local Authority (September 2011)

The highest rates are in North Ayrshire (6.5%) and the lowest in Shetland Isles (1.3%). Highland saw an increase (13.9) in the number of claimants in the last 12 months. The biggest decrease was the Shetland Islands (-27.3%) and the biggest increase was Perthshire and Kinross (55.2%). The percentage of young people in Highland aged under 25 who receive JSA sits lower in the range from 13.8% in North Ayrshire to 3.0% in Shetland Islands.

Local Authority

Claimants

% of working  age claiming JSA

%  change in last 12 months

JSA Claimants aged    under 24

%  of under 24 claiming JSA

Aberdeen City 3,420 2.3 37.8 900 3.4
Aberdeenshire 2,257 1.5 43.9 720 3.8
Angus 2,240 3.4 25.8 695 8.3
Argyll & Bute 1,804 3.4

12.2

 455 6.5
Clackmannanshire 1,857 5.9 37.2 610 13.8
Dumfries & Galloway 3,146 3.6 32.0 1,085 9.9
Dundee City 5,468 6.0 51.0  1,690 9.1
East Ayrshire 4,384 5.9 33.2

1,380

 12.7
East Dunbartonshire 1,820 2.9 1.6 580 6.5
East Lothian 1,957 3.3  21.6 610 7.5
East Renfrewshire 1,394 2.6  3.6 420 5.5
Edinburgh, City of 10,940  3.3  16.8 2,875  4.9
Eilean Siar 477 3.1   11.8 105 6.3
Falkirk 4,450 4.6  51.9 1,325 10.1
Fife 10,950 4.8  33.0 3,400 9.3
Glasgow City 24,991 6.2  2.9 6,765 9.7
Highland 3,498 2.6  13.9 975 6.1
Inverclyde 2,820 5.7 42.9 820

11.2

Midlothian 1,962 3.9  22.0 670 9.2
Moray 1,321

2.5

 25.7 405 5.6
North Ayrshire 5,374 6.5 15.0 1,625 13.8
North Lanarkshire 11,703  5.7 23.4 3,560 12.0
Orkney Islands 220 1.8 37.5 60 4.2
Perthshire & Kinross 2,199 2.4 55.2 695 5.3
Renfrewshire 5,622 5.2 23.6

1,590

 10.3
Scottish Borders 2,052 3.0 16.2 700 8.6
Shetland Islands 172 1.3 -27.3 50 3.0
South Ayrshire 2,840 4.2 30.6 895

9.8

South Lanarkshire 8,799 4.5  10.6 2,845 10.6
Stirling 1,861 3.3 48.5 615 5.7
West Dunbartonshire 3,572  6.2 

49.3

 1,060 12.4
West Lothian 4,440 4.1

-10.5

 1,445 9.5
Scotland

140,010

 4.2 13.6 41,625

8.3

United Kingdom 1,517,197 3.9

11.4

 466,250 7.8
Source: Department for Work and Pensions data from NOMIS